Red Hot Appendix
by MissDonnie
Summary: Jane hates hospitals. But even he knows there are times he has to face the fact that he is "sick". A hospital stay leads to a murder and Jane is going to find out who and why it happened.


**A/N:** I wish my writing was as great as some of you, but I enjoy the Mentalist and with coming up with a story every once in a while. This is my third one on here…please let me know how you feel about it.

I of course do not own the Mentalist or any of the wonderful characters….wish I did.

* * *

'Why do I feel so bad?' Jane wondered as he lay on his CBI couch. His morning tea didn't help his stomach. Actually it wasn't like an upset stomach, more like pain in his side that just didn't go away. The pain had been there a couple of days, and truth be told it seemed to be hurting more today. The sounds of footsteps came closer to his couch, and he knew from their pace and weight it could only be Lisbon. When the footsteps stopped beside him, he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Did you forget that today is the luncheon for Hightower? You can ride with me and Van Pelt if you want," she said looking down at him.

"I'll drive myself. I have an errand to run before I get there," he replied, rising from the couch.

"Don't be late." She smiled and left, followed by the other team members.

Jane watched them leave, then suddenly doubled over in pain. He half-sat, half fell back onto the couch and took a deep breath. Just as suddenly he grabbed for Van Pelt's trash can and threw up, moaning when he sat back again. 'Okay, okay…. I give up.'

Jane pulled into Sacramento General Hospital's emergency parking lot and was grateful to find a space near the ER entrance. He turned off the car and sat for a moment, just looking at the entrance door. A van pulled up a few cars away. Jane looked at the van, distracting himself from the uncomfortable thought of entering the emergency room. A very short man, under five feet tall, got out of the passenger side. The man appearing from the driver's side was almost seven feet tall. A hospital nurse rushed over and joined them at the van. Jane watched with interest as the conversation got very heated, very fast. 'What do these three people possibly have in common? A sick friend in the hospital? No, they would be inside talking.' Suddenly the short man walked away, throwing his hands up. Jane watched as the other two got into the van and drove after him.

The excitement seemed to be over and Jane was not getting any closer to getting out of the car.

'I hate hospitals and doctors, so why am I here?' he grumbled to himself until another pain struck. He nodded sourly to himself, got out, and walked toward the entrance like a man walking to his execution. Jane hesitantly entered the ER and went up to the admitting desk. In pain and uneasy, he flashed the admitting clerk a high power smile, long his automatic response to uncomfortable situations.

"How can I help you, sir?" the woman asked, looking up at the handsome man in front of her.

"I have some pain that doesn't seem to go away. I don't have a doctor so I thought I could see one here." Jane looked around the crowded waiting room, wondering how long it would take.

"Please fill out this form and bring it back to me. If you have an insurance card I'll need that also." She handed him a clipboard. Jane glumly took the clipboard, found a seat, and began filling in his information, stopping a few times because of pain. Once he returned the clipboard, he took a seat and waited. And waited. And waited some more. He kept checking the clock, knowing that Lisbon would not be happy if he blew off the Hightower luncheon by not showing at all.

An older nurse unexpectedly came into the waiting room and called his name before many others who had been there before him. He followed her into a room. She motioned him to sit down and silently read the information on the clipboard.

"Unexplained, severe pain in the lower right abdomen that's lasted several days, correct?" He nodded. "A doctor will be here in a moment. But first, you left off contact information in case we need to talk to someone when you might not be able to. Could you please fill that in." She handed him the clipboard. Jane looked at the clipboard thinking, 'If I'm going to be here only a little while _why_ do they need that?' He reluctantly complied despite misgivings, knowing that bucking bureaucratic procedures would just cause more delays. Without another thought he filled out the information and handed it back to the nurse.

"You've had pain for the past few days? Is this the first time it's happened?

"Yes, normally I never get sick."

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, how severe is the pain?"

Jane shrugged, "Oh, maybe six," he answered diffidently till he doubled over again. "Uh, maybe seven," he gasped. "Or eight."

She waited till the pain eased. "Other symptoms? Nausea, change in bowel habits, fever or chills? Any other health changes?"

"Mainly nausea. Haven't been eating much since this started."

"Let me take your blood pressure and temperature and I'll get you into an examination room for the doctor. Take off your jacket and roll up your sleeve, please."

"Do I have to go through all this first? I just need to ask the doctor about this pain." Jane protested, not happy about the waiting and poking and prodding.

"We have to do all this first. I promise it won't take but a couple of minutes," she said as Jane removed his jacket and rolled his sleeve up. A short time later she led him into an examination room and gave him a gown from a shelf.

"Remove your clothing and put this on."

He looked at it and then at her. "I'll pass on the gown. I just need to ….."

She put her hand up and stopped him. "For the pain you're having the doctor will need to examine you. He can't do it through your suit. Everything has to come off." Jane opened his mouth. " _Everything," s_ he emphasized before he could get a word out. "I'll be back shortly." She left confident the patient would follow directions.

Jane made a face as he unfolded the skimpy, open-backed gown. The nurse returned and found him lying on the bed, gown on and covered to the neck with the sheet from the end of the bed. She noticed his neatly folded clothing.

A young man entered carrying a box. "Mr. Jane?" Jane nodded. "I'm here to draw blood."

Jane looked at the nurse who put a band around his wrist with his name on it. "Yes, Mr. Jane, the blood work has to be done." Jane put his arm out giving a small 'ouch' at the needle prick.

/

Lisbon kept watch on the restaurant door while tapping her fingers on the table.

"Maybe he had car trouble, Boss," Van Pelt suggested.

"He has a phone. He could call."

"If he doesn't get here, can I have his steak?" Rigsby asked, looking at the place where Jane was to be seated. Lisbon and Van Pelt gave him a look that shut him up.

/

Jane looked up when a man entered. The man looked very young.

"Mr. Jane, I'm Dr. Gordon. Sorry it took so long to see you. We had some folks come in from a car accident and there are only a few doctors on duty right now." He approached Jane. "Your chart says you've had pain the last few days. Show me where."

"Are you old enough to be a doctor?" Jane said, holding the sheet tighter.

The doctor smiled. "Yes, Mr. Jane, I'm old enough to be a doctor. I've gone to medical school, finished my internship and residency, and everything," he said, slightly amused. "Guess I just have these great genes that make me look young. Now about that pain?"

"Just over here," Jane pointed to the lower right side of his stomach.

Dr. Gordon stood at the side of the bed, lifted the sheet and pressed down on several locations on Jane's stomach, then moved his hands lower. Jane yelled in pain when the doctor reached a tender area.

"I think you've reached the right spot, doctor," Jane panted, having grabbed the doctor's wrist. He took his hand away.

"Mr. Jane, I'm pretty sure you have a hot appendix. I need to get the blood work back, see if your white cell count shows an infection."

"So you can prescribe some pills and I can go home?" Jane asked hopefully.

Doctor Gordon smiled. "If it's your appendix - and I'm sure it is - you'll need surgery to take it out."

Jane was quiet for a moment, then started to get up. The doctor gently put his hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Mr. Jane, even though the procedure is very simple, without the surgery the appendix could rupture and cause peritonitis. You could die." Jane lay back down, closed his eyes, and sighed in resignation.

"How long will I have to be here?"

"Maybe a couple of days, depending on how you feel after the surgery. When did you last eat?"

"Two days ago, other than tea."

"And when did you last have anything to drink?"

"Nine this morning. Been here since then."

"Good. I'm going to schedule you for surgery. A nurse will come in and get you ready. Dr. Rosen will be your surgeon and he'll be in to see you before you go to the operating room. He'll explain the procedure in detail. Do you have any questions meanwhile?"

Jane opened his eyes and shook his head.

"You'll be fine, Mr. Jane." Gordon left the room.

Jane looked around and caught sight of a wall clock. He quickly hopped off the bed and grabbed his suit jacket. The nurse came in while he was going through the pockets.

"You're not supposed to be up. Get back in the bed," she ordered and wrested his jacket from his hand.

"I need to make a call. I'm late for an appointment." He took the jacket back and pulled out his cell phone. The nurse took the phone and pointed to a sign that said 'No cell phones to be used.'

"You can't make a cell phone call in here. They interfere with electronic equipment. _Please_ lie back down. I'll bring a phone you can use as soon as an IV is started and you're prepped for surgery." Another nurse entered to set up an IV.

Jane started to comment but clutched his belly and yelled out in pain instead. After a moment he got back in bed and looked at the nurses. They were smiling, a mix of sympathy and exasperation on their faces.

/

Lisbon and the team were leaving the restaurant when her phone rang.

"Lisbon here. … Where are you, Jane? You promised to be here. … What do you mean you're going out of town? ... Jane?!" She snapped the phone shut. The team exchanged uneasy glances.

"Where is he?" Cho asked, as Lisbon's simmering anger flared after that call.

"Didn't say, just that he's going out of town for a couple of days," Lisbon bit out. "What's he up to?" she said more to herself than the others.

/

Jane tried to get comfortable on the gurney without success. 'Maybe it's uncomfortable to encourage malingerers to leave ASAP. That and wearing a gown that's open down the back. What fool designed that?' He ignored the IV that a nurse had started a few minutes earlier. An older man came in and approached the bed.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Jane. I'm Doctor Rosen, and I'll be your surgeon. We got the blood work back and it shows a very high white cell count. Your appendix definitely needs to come out today. If I may examine you?" he gestured toward Jane's stomach.

Rosen moved the sheet and palpated the tender area. Jane moaned as the doctor kept pressing. He covered Jane back up.

"When was the last time you had anything to eat?"

"Yesterday morning I had tea, and then I had some this morning at nine. Neither cup stayed down," Jane answered quietly.

"That's fortunate. We'll be able to perform the appendectomy as soon as an operating room is available. So long as your appendix has not ruptured, the preferred procedure is a laparoscopy. That minimizes the size of the incisions-" he ignored Jane's shocked echo of 'incisions?!' "- and promotes faster healing."

A pale and uncomfortable Jane asked, "What does that mean in English?"

Rosen showed him several diagrams as he explained. "The surgery will be performed under general anesthesia. When you wake up in recovery, it all will be over. Now, a laparoscopy involves three or four small abdominal incisions. A tube is inserted to admit gas to inflate your abdomen. Then a laparoscope - a small tube with a light source and camera - is inserted to relay images to a television monitor. The incisions provide access for small surgical tools to remove the appendix. The incisions are closed with stitches that either dissolve or are removed a week to ten days later. If the appendix has already ruptured, open surgery with a longer incision would be required. The most serious situation is when there is widespread infection in the abdominal cavity and it becomes necessary to operate through a long cut along the middle of the abdomen." Rosen continued to inform him of the risks and possible complications much to Jane's dismay.

Jane winced with pain when he took a deep breath, unsure whether the description or the infected appendix was triggering more nausea. He really didn't want more details about cutting holes in his body and removing things. "What about recovery?"

"A major advantage of laparoscopy is shorter recovery. Most people can be discharged from one to a couple of days after the operation. Open surgery usually requires a week of hospitalization."

"And after I leave?"

"You might experience some pain and bruising, possibly constipation. You will receive written instructions about wound care and activities to avoid. In most cases, you can return to normal activities in a couple of weeks. Open surgery would necessitate avoiding strenuous activities for four to six weeks because of the larger incision."

Jane looked upset at that information, but then decided he could recover on his couch in the office.

"A nurse will give you pain medication along with antibiotics by IV so you'll be a bit more comfortable until you go into surgery. Do you have any questions?"

"No." Jane swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "You answered what I wanted to know, thank you." Jane signed the informed consent forms authorizing the surgery.

Dr. Rosen put his hand on Jane's arm. "Mr. Jane, so long as the appendix hasn't ruptured, this is a very straightforward procedure. I'll see you when they bring you down to surgery." He left.

A couple of minutes later the older nurse appeared and added two IV bags to the one he already had.

"This is the pain medication and antibiotics Dr. Rosen ordered. Another nurse will be here to prep you for surgery."

Jane eyelids started drifting closed despite trying to resist. He never liked feeling vulnerable and exposed, though he _was_ beginning to feel a lot better than when he arrived.

"We must have missed that ring, Mr. Jane. No jewelry allowed in the operating room. I'll put it with your wallet and other valuables if you would take it off for me." The nurse lifted his hand.

"NO!" Jane said loudly. "You can't take it off." Eyes wide, he jerked his hand away.

"Mr. Jane, please calm down. I _promise_ you'll get it back as soon as you are in recovery." Jane shook his head again, but the sedative was beginning to work.

The nurse pursed her lips, then relented. "Okay, sweetheart, I think I can solve this. It's against the rules, but I see this ring is important to you." She briskly stepped over to a cabinet and removed a roll of surgical tape. She wrapped it around his ring so it couldn't come off.

Jane sighed and closed his eyes, not quite able to manage a 'thank you' before the blackness claimed him.

/

As everyone walked into the bullpen all eyes went to Jane's couch, then instantly to Lisbon's face as the consultant was nowhere in sight as expected after his call. Lisbon stomped off to her office. Her door closed with a bang and chattering metal mini-blinds. They had just resumed work when Lisbon rushed out.

"Jane is in the hospital. In surgery!"

After a moment of shocked surprise, they all followed Lisbon to the elevator, a confused welter of questions tumbling out. The elevator doors closed and Lisbon raised her hands for silence so she could answer.

"HR phoned. Sac General called to verify his insurance and Nancy called to tell me. That's all I know." They got into a CBI SUV and rushed off.

Twenty minutes later found them sitting in the hospital's waiting room for surgical patients. Rigsby was on his second trip to the vending machine for candy. Van Pelt was sitting next to Lisbon, with both looking at the surgery doors. Cho was reading his ever-present book except he kept checking his watch. They didn't even know why Jane was in surgery and the minutes dragged like hours. The door was finally opened by a man in surgical greens. He looked at the group.

"Are any of you here for Mr. Jane? I'm Dr. Rosen, and I performed his surgery."

All stood and approached the doctor.

Lisbon spoke for the group. "Yes, I'm Theresa Lisbon. Patrick Jane works with us at the CBI. How is he, what was wrong?" She looked worried.

"The surgery was necessary to remove his appendix. When I went in it was close to rupturing so it was very fortunate he came in when he did. He's in recovery now and one of you can go back to him. The surgery was completely successful, though he'll be groggy from the anesthetic for awhile," Rosen said with a tired smile.

"I'll go back," Lisbon decided and glanced around at her team. "I'll be out soon as I can."

She followed the doctor into the recovery room. She soon saw the recovery bay where Jane was lying in a bed. His eyes were closed and, for a change, she saw him truly relaxed in his sleep.

Rosen explained quietly, "He should be waking up any time now and he'll be taken to a room. How he feels in the morning will determine how long we'll keep him - probably only a couple of days, which is normal. He will need a few weeks off before returning to work, more if his job is physically strenuous."

Jane opened his eyes and saw Lisbon and the doctor. After trying to move, Jane moaned and closed his eyes again.

Rosen spoke reassuringly, "You came through the surgery with no problems, Mr. Jane. Try to wake up a little more for me, please."

Jane opened his eyes again. Lisbon put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it to the luncheon," he said softly.

"Don't worry about it. You need to get well for m - us," she responded, her smile not quite masking concern.

"Can I go home now? I really want to leave now, Lisbon," Jane asked with a sigh. He closed his eyes again.

"He really hates hospitals," Lisbon told Rosen.

The doctor first allowed himself a wry smile then chuckled. "I gathered. It's not the best place to find yourself. I'll have the orderlies take him upstairs in just a few more minutes." He left after speaking to the nurse tending the post-surgery patients.

Lisbon leaned down and kissed Jane's forehead. "I'll be back later, Jane. _Please_ do as they ask you." She wondered how many minutes it would take before Jane made everyone at the hospital wish he was going home.

"Love you," Jane whispered. Lisbon looked startled. Unsure of what to say she said nothing, and mentally wrote it off to the anesthetic. Two orderlies entered the recovery area.

"He'll be in room 345, if you want to go up later to see him," one told her as the nurse got Jane ready for the transfer. Lisbon reassured herself with another look and walked away.

/

A quarter hour later when Jane more fully woke, he found he was in a regular, semi-private hospital room. Fortunately, he had the room to himself for the time being. A nurse who seemed strangely familiar was by his bed.

"Good to see you awake, Mr. Jane. I'm your night nurse. If you need anything just push the button here on your bed." She moved his hand to show him where it is. "I'll be back to check on you later."

"Have we met before?" He frowned slightly, scrutinizing her face.

"I don't think so. Maybe you remember me from when you first got up here. You were pretty sleepy then. Are you in any pain?"

Jane took a moment to really pay attention to his body, the floaty, muzzy feeling dissipating as the anesthetic wore off. Surprised, he answered, "Not really."

"Good. Just push the button if you need anything," she said and vanished. Jane's eyes lingered on the door trying, despite the anesthetic haze, to remember where he had seen her.

/

Lisbon sat at her desk doing paperwork. She glanced out at the bullpen at her team which was also busy with paperwork, and noticed how quiet it was. The quiet was because Jane wasn't there. As long as he had been with them and awake, he was talking. He always seemed to have something interesting to talk about, or was showing them a new trick. At times he was a real pain in the ass, but there were also times when he brought a smile to her face if she was feeling down. He seemed to know when people needed a laugh, or someone they could just talk to. Thinking about the team she knew Jane often would talk to Cho about books. Van Pelt, she knew, often went on short walks with Jane and came back smiling. If Jane were here, Van Pelt would be talking to him about her new romance. Rigsby and Jane seemed to know every fast food location in the city so they could (literally!) feed their junk food addiction. As for herself, she had gotten used to Jane sleeping on her new couch at night when she worked late. He would always walk her to the car when she left. She knew he returned to the building to try to sleep part of the night. Thoroughly distracted, Lisbon tossed down her pen and walked out to the bullpen.

"I'm going to the hospital to see Jane. Anyone want to come with?" All three jumped up and followed her to the elevator.

/

Jane had the bed raised to a sitting position. He looked at the tray in front of him with dismay: A container of Jell-O, a cup of tea, apple juice, and some kind of chicken broth.

"Great, now they are going to starve me to death." He grumbled to himself. He lifted the cup of tea, sipped a little, made a face and put it back. "Not even hot."

Bored, he looked out the door and saw people walking to other patients' rooms. He heard laughing from down the hall. It appeared to be a busy night for visiting. He looked again at his tray and pushed it away. He grimaced when the movement triggered some pain.

"Guess I could ask for a pain killer and go back to sleep. Nothing on TV - they don't have the animal planet that I might have enjoyed," he ruminated gloomily.

He heard footsteps he knew by heart - Lisbon! - and avidly watched the door. She always had that quick way of walking. He smiled as she entered towing an enormous 'Get Well' balloon on a tether and carrying a large container. His smile widened as he caught sight of the rest of the team. Van Pelt carried a small plush rabbit; Rigsby, a large balloon shaped like a dog that also wished him 'Get Well.' Cho laid some puzzle books on the night stand.

"Thought you'd get bored," Cho said with a rare smile. "Maybe if you're doing puzzles, the nurses won't be tempted to murder you." Jane rolled his eyes but his smile stayed in place.

Lisbon pulled the tray back near Jane and placed the container in front of him.

"Tea, and I made sure it was made the way you like it." She removed the lid.

Jane drank deeply and sighed. "You, my dear, are a life saver," he said, his smile somehow becoming sweeter and special for her.

Rigsby tied his balloon next to Lisbon's and Van Pelt handed him the rabbit.

"I thought it was cute. Keep you company."

"Thank you Grace. I'll call it Van Pelt." He put the rabbit next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Lisbon asked, noticing how pale he looked.

"Well, I am getting a lot of sleep here. And it hurts to move around so I don't." Jane said between sips of tea.

"So there's a chance you won't be a headache for the staff?" Cho hazarded, remembering the last time that Jane was hospitalized.

"Not yet. He'll wait till morning when he feels better," Lisbon snorted, and they all laughed.

The young nurse came into the room acknowledging them with a smile.

"Seems you have a room full of visitors, Mr. Jane. I'll be back in later to take your vitals and see if you need anything for pain."

"Thank you," Jane said, looking closely at the nurse. Something about her was scratching at his memory, but he just couldn't pull it out. His eyes followed the nurse as she left.

Lisbon quietly watched the group interact with Jane. She remembered what Jane told her about the team - a moment of weakness in which he actually revealed something personal. 'He said the team is like family to him. There's joy on his face joking around with Rigsby. And then there's that smile Jane seems to save for me alone.' They stayed even as Jane's eyes kept closing until he finally he fell asleep. The others left the room. Hesitating a moment, Lisbon pulled the covers up to his chin and lowered the bed so he was lying flat. She gave him a quick kiss on his forehead and joined the group in the hallway.

/

Something woke him up. Some kind of noise. Jane looked around the dark room, but saw no one and nothing. "Is someone here?"

A quiet voice came from under his bed, startling the hell out of him and making him jump. He moaned in pain as he jerked at the surprise.

"They'll kill me if they find me. _Please_ , stay quiet!" the voice whispered urgently.

"Who's going to kill you?" Jane tried to look under the bed, but the bed rails stopped him from seeing. He started fishing for the call button that was lost somewhere in the bedding; he couldn't find it. The sound of someone walking outside his room snagged his attention, and it sounded like someone large. Jane moved his blanket over the side of the bed hoping it would help hide the man cowering underneath. He closed his eyes and worked to slow his breathing. He heard someone enter the room. The person - a man by the weight and sound of the footsteps - stopped before reaching the bed and stood there. The bare sixty seconds the man stood there seemed like an hour. Jane's need to move and open his eyes was getting difficult with curiosity driving him crazy. The man left as quickly as he came. After a few minutes the man under the bed crawled out. Jane recognized him as the short man he'd seen outside the ER earlier. The little man rushed out of the room before Jane could say anything to him. Jane finally found and pressed the call button, but no nurse appeared. He raised the bed to the sitting position despite the pain, grabbed the phone, and dialed.

/

Lisbon was sound asleep in bed. Her light softly reflected off the book she was reading before falling asleep. The phone suddenly rang and she rolled over looking for it until her hand felt it on the night stand.

"Lisbon. … Jane, what are you talking about?" she demanded, waking more fully. "... Don't talk so fast! …" She sat up on the edge of the bed. "Jane, you probably had a dream from the pain killers you got today. … Okay, I'll be there. … NO! Do NOT get up and go searching for anyone." She hung up, glanced at the time and groaned. One pair of jeans and sweatshirt later, she headed to the hospital.

After an hour of searching Jane's floor, Lisbon and a security guard returned to Jane's room. He was still sitting up, an expectant look on his face as he waited for her to talk to him.

"Jane, we've looked over this whole floor. There is no tall man. There is no short man. The nurse on duty was with another patient and couldn't get here when you called for her. She is also in her forty's and has black hair. The young nurse you described is not here because she went home earlier, not feeling well."

"Of course she did. She and the tall man had a fight with the small man. He was under the bed hiding from them." He said expecting Lisbon to agree with him. Jane noticed the security guard and Lisbon looking at him like he dreamed it all and sighed.

Lisbon responded, "Jane, you probably had a nightmare. You saw people having an argument this morning and folded them into your dream."

"It wasn't a dream Lisbon, I was wide awake," he replied heatedly. He lowered his voice with an effort. "The only nightmares I have involve my family being killed by Red John."

The nurse Lisbon described came into the room. Her patient was being upset and that just wouldn't do. "Everyone out. It's long past visiting hours. I appreciate that you came because Mr. Jane called you, but since you found no strange people here he needs to rest." She handed a small paper cup to Jane, poured water into a glass and gave it to him.

"You need to take this, Mr. Jane, to help you calm down and go back to sleep." He looked in the cup and saw a small pill. Though tired and in pain, he knew what he saw was no dream. He put the pill in his mouth and drank the water. The nurse turned to Lisbon and the security guard with a satisfied look, which gave Jane the chance to spit the pill into his hand.

"He should be asleep in a few minutes. You're welcome to return in the morning to see him." The nurse motioned the security guard to leave. Lisbon tarried and stepped closer to Jane.

"I'll be here in the morning, Jane. … Try and get some sleep." She wanted to give him a quick kiss on his forehead, but doing that when he was awake was asking for trouble. She had a good idea of how he felt about her (reinforced by what he said while recovering from the anesthesia), but this wasn't the time to show him her feelings. She touched his hand and also left.

"Okay, Mr. Jane, you need to sleep." The nurse made sure the call button was by his hand. "I'll be at the station if you need me." She turned off the overhead light as she exited, leaving just the dim light on the bed headboard on.

/

Listening to make sure the nurse was not going to return, Jane examined the bed rails to figure out how to lower them. Frustrated, he realized that was not going to happen without help. He lowered the bed flat and then slowly inched his way down to the bottom of the bed until he reached the place where the bed rails ended. His legs were half out of the bed. He grasped the rail and pulled himself up. He sat there holding his hand over the stitches, breathing deeply through the pain. With considerable effort he slipped off the bed to stand beside it. He slowly started to walk out of the room, then stopped when he noticed the draft chilling his backside. He made a face and grabbed the two sides of the gown in back to hold it closed. Sidling cautiously along the wall, he poked his head into the next room. A patient was lying on his bed snoring softly in his sleep. Of greater interest was the robe lying on a chair. Jane smiled as he put it on. The robe was huge on him, but the draft was gone and his modesty secure.

Jane left and walked slowly in the direction he saw the small man run, which happened to be away from the nurses' station. He looked into each room he passed. He'd expected the pain, but the exhaustion reminded him he had just had surgery. Surprised not to have woken any of the other patients, he reached the last room and found it empty. He shook his head, and tried to work out his next step. He was grateful to see a chair by a window and slowly lowered himself into the chair.

/

Lisbon had left the hospital dead tired, eagerly anticipating returning to her nice warm bed. But she couldn't stop thinking about Jane and how sure he was that it wasn't a dream. 'Dammit, he insisted his nightmares are only about Red John. … Could he really have seen the two men?' Even in the hospital Jane was causing her trouble - extra work at minimum - but he often was right. Too often to comfortably ignore. Feeling uneasy she abruptly made a u-turn and drove back the short distance to the hospital. Maybe she could spend the night sleeping in his room to make sure Jane slept till morning. Safely.

/

With an effort Jane stood up and started back toward his room. He looked at a closed door with a sign identifying it as a supply room. 'Missed that one. Well, no harm looking in one more place.' Jane silently opened the door and took a step inside, enough light spilling in from the hallway to see. He gasped and stumbled backward. The small man lay still on the floor with a large knife sticking out of his stomach. Jane backed up till he was shocked by bumping into someone. Looking backward, Jane recognized the tall man and realized just how bad a mistake he'd made to search on his own. The man roughly turned Jane around to face him.

"So what do I do about you?" the man said quietly, harshly. "I hoped you'd mind your own business but, no, you just had to ruin my evening."

"It's not helping my evening either," Jane mumbled, beginning to feel ill. Without warning Jane puked violently onto the man who pushed Jane away. Jane dodged into the hall moving as fast as he could only to be intercepted when the young nurse came out of a room. She smiled as the tall man grabbed and held Jane. The nurse pulled a syringe from her pocket and jammed the needle into Jane's arm.

Lisbon watched as the elevator numbers slowly climbed to Jane's floor. She stepped out as Jane fall to the floor with the tall man and nurse standing nearby.

"Police, put up your hands!" she yelled, pulling her gun. Another nurse ran toward them from the nurse's station, attracted by the yelling.

/

Lisbon sat by Jane's bed, watching as a clear liquid dripped into the IV piercing her unconscious consultant's arm. She stretched to relieve the crick in her neck from sleeping in the chair next to his bed once she had finished with the police. Somehow it was morning already. 'Time flies when you're having fun. Or working with Jane.'

Suddenly Jane jerked, eyes opening wide in fright. He breathed out in relief when he saw Lisbon. She patted his hand.

"What happened?" Jane remembered the nurse giving him a shot and everything going dark.

"Mr. Tall killed Mr. Small and the nurse was involved with it. She was giving them drugs to sell and an argument started on how to divide the money."

"Those were really their names?" Jane asked with a grin, still a bit out of it.

"Of course not. I haven't gotten back to the police since I was worried about you. Miss Nurse gave you a massive shot of insulin. Fortunately, the nurse and doctor on duty started treatment immediately. That's the reason for the IV."

Frowning with the effort to think, "Why did you come back?"

"I wanted to make sure that your nightmare wasn't real. Had a feeling something was wrong."

"Lisbon was worried about me. How sweet." Raised eyebrows and a warm smile made her blush, as intended.

They stopped talking when Dr. Rosen came into the room, on his early morning rounds to check on his surgical patients.

"Mr. Jane, you're certainly a unique patient. The day after having surgery you solve a murder, somehow without undoing all the stitches I put in you so neatly." Rosen drew the privacy curtain around Jane's bed and pulled back the sheet and gown to check the stitches.

"How do you feel?" he asked, closely scrutinizing Jane's appearance.

"Never better, right as rain. Can I go home now?"

"This afternoon, just to make sure last night didn't do any harm." He put the gown and sheet back over Jane's abdomen and slid open the curtain. "Think you can manage to stay in bed, avoid chasing murderous criminals down the hall?"

Lisbon answered before Jane could respond. "I'll make sure of that, doctor. He'll stay in this bed if I have to tie him down."

Rosen smiled. "I'll schedule you for an appointment next week to see how those stitches are. It will be on the discharge papers along with all the do's and don't's of your care. I'll see you then." He walked out of the room shaking his head.

"Um, Lisbon, I don't think I say thank you often enough. -Thank you for being here for me."

Remembering what he told her with the trust fall she replied, "I'll always be there for you, Jane. Always."

The End


End file.
